John 1:17 (YLT)

Passage

for the law through Moses was given, the grace and the truth through Jesus Christ did come;

Nearby Context

John 1:15 John doth testify concerning him, and hath cried, saying, `This was he of whom I said, He who after me is coming, hath come before me, for he was before me;'

John 1:16 and out of his fulness did we all receive, and grace over-against grace;

John 1:17 for the law through Moses was given, the grace and the truth through Jesus Christ did come;

John 1:18 God no one hath ever seen; the only begotten Son, who is on the bosom of the Father--he did declare.

John 1:19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent out of Jerusalem priests and Levites, that they might question him, `Who art thou?'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "grace", "through", "moses", "given", "truth", "jesus", and "christ". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "grace" and "through", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "and out of his fulness did we..." into verse 18's "God no one hath ever seen the...", so "grace" and "through" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "grace" and "through" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.